On September 26, 1981, one of the hijackers of JAT Boeing, Borivoje Jelic, announced that he would come to Podgorica because he wanted to talk to Petar Caco Ljumovic and other football players of “Buducnost” and apologize to them for all that they had experienced during that unpleasant event that upset the Yugoslav public.

In September, Ljumovic embarked on a championship match with Vojvodina in Novi Sad with a 20-member expedition of the club from Podgorica.

The hijacking happened late at night after the plane took off from Dubrovnik airport Cilipi, which flew from Podgorica to pick up a group of passengers.

The hijackers later said at the trial that they had chosen to board the plane at the airport in Podgorica because there was the weakest control at the time, and they intervened among the delegation of the team from Podgorica. When the plane took off from Dubrovnik Airport, hijackers with guns entered the cabin and reported to Captain Ljubomir Zekavica and the crew that it was a hijack. Then they moved all the passengers to the back of the plane.

The finale of that drama at the Larnaca airport made it clear that passengers had escaped from the plane, and then both the crew and the world media reported that the hijackers were left alone on the plane.

Tonko Miročević and Caco Ljumović (Photo: Private archive)

Ljumovic recalls flying to Brindisi and Athens, that Israeli planes drove them out of that country's airspace, and finally the happy ending took place in Larnaca. When Captain Ljubomir Zvekavica landed the plane at the end of the runway, near the beach, there was a sick woman on a stretcher on the plane, who had a deteriorating health condition and had to be taken through the back door. While this was happening, someone burned a paper in the toilet, suddenly a fire alarm went off, and the pilot and his colleagues maximized the cooling appliances to give the impression that the fire was serious. Everyone rushed outside through the door near the wing of the plane, which was opened by Zarko Vukcevic. Only the hijackers and crew members, nine of them and Caco Ljumovic, remained on the plane because his cousin was a flight attendant and did not want to leave her on the plane. When, after the escape of the passengers, the hijackers retreated to the tail of the plane for further agreements, the crew and Ljumovic, by order of the captain of the plane, exited through two openings on the emergency plane, ran under the beak of the plane and fled toward the beach.

"It is not a trivial event when the plane is hijacked by armed men, but there was no panic, there was adrenaline. When I got off the plane with my crew, through two emergency exits, I held two stewardesses by the hand, it seemed like I was holding them and I felt nothing. We freed ourselves, so the media in Europe wrote that the Yugoslavs had abducted the kidnappers," says Ljumovic.

Ljumovic remembers that when they reached the beach, they saw specialists from Cypress with rifles. Later, the players of “Buducnost” recalled the details of the abduction, as some did not even believe that the plane had been hijacked, to those who were running down the runway in Larnaca.

Ljumovic points out that the hijackers did not harass the passengers, and that he is willing to talk to Jelic, who announced his arrival in Montenegro.

"I felt the consequences of that event a year later, when I was playing in Greece, my hair started to fall out. Then a Greek doctor told me it was stress, and it was good that it came out. When I signed a contract for the French club the following year, my hair grew back," says Ljumovic.

In the hijacked plane were also the actors Misa Janketic, Zarko Lausevic, Marko Nikolic, rock singer Biljana Petrovic, national hero Milan Sijan and several other celebrities from the public life of the time.

In the book "Hijackings and crashes of Yugoslav aircraft" by Dr. Vukosav Balevic, a complete list of passengers on the YU-AKF plane is published. On the expedition of FC Buducnost in the hijacked plane were Radovan Bujic, Zoran Nikitovic, Slavko Vlahovic, Zoran Vorotovic, Miomir Bakrac, Vojislav Vukcevic, Branislav Drobnjak, Zoran Batrovic, Zarko Vukcevic, Petar Lumovic, Mojas Radonjic, Mirko Radinovic, Dragan “Guzo” Vujovic, Dragoljub Brnovic, Vasilije Kalezic, Slavenko Kuzeljevic, coaches Djordje Gerum and Milutin Folic, dr Djuro Music and physical therapist Ljubomir Radunovic.

The plane was hijacked by Borivoje Jelic and Mirko Krizic from Bjelovar, and Milan Prpic from Rijeka. The plan for the hijacking of the plane was conceived during their imprisonment in Lepoglava, and was also assisted by Predrag Vidakovic from Rijeka.

The action was funded by Zagreb caterer Josip Valentic, and logistical support was provided by Jelena Dokmanovic from Bjelovar. It is believed that Dokmanovic just brought her weapon to the Titograd airport, and then sat quietly among the abducted passengers with whom she later escaped from the plane in Larnaca!

Ljumovic says that one of the “Buducnost” players, when everything calmed down, accidentally opened Dokmanovic's purse, which was full of large banknotes of dollars and Deutsche marks.

Jelic was sentenced to eight years in prison for kidnapping, Krizic to five, Prpic to three, Vidakovic to two, and Valentic to one and a half year. Due to lack of evidence, Jelena Dokmanovic was released, and Vukosav Balevic claims in his book that the file from the trial was burned for unknown reasons in 1992!

According to some speculations, the famous German terrorist Baader–Meinhof Gang was involved in this action.

Regret for the cup’s trophy

In the final match, Podgorica was defeated at Belgrade's "Marakana" on May 24, 1977, after extra time to Hajduk Split 2:0.

FC “Buducnost ”at the final match of the Yugoslav Cup (Photo: Private archive)

“The whole of Montenegro traveled to Belgrade. That noise, when we came out of the hallway into the stadium, I will never forget. There were over 70,000 spectators at the stadium. It seems to me that I woke up only after the first passes and became aware that I was playing a match. We failed in overtime, Hajduk Split played in the extra time as if the game had just started," said Ljumovic.

Ljumovic says that after 90 minutes of play, in the break for extra time, his teammate Nikolica Jankovic set out to grab one of Hajduk's bottles to freshen up, and Drazen Muzinic tried to hit him with a boot. Nikolica removed his hand and Muzinic spilled the liquid. The Hajduk players must have had some vitamins in these bottles that helped them start fresh in the overtime.

Summers spent on Moraca

Ljumovic lived behind Beko, so Caco's father got an apartment near the Technical High School over Moraca. Caco recounts that as a youngster he liked to swim in Moraca, on the right side of the coast was the beach called Podgoricanka, which had steep access. Ljumovic also remembers the old bridge “Viseci most” that fell in 1964, and as boys they used to, when there was no one on the bridge, to swing it without even being aware that such a game could be dangerous.

They finally made it to the first League

Ljumovic reminds that the former Yugoslavian Football League was the third most valuable in Europe and that it was not easy to be in the First League. Buducnost participated in six qualifications and failed for various reasons, but in 1974/75, they convincingly won the first place in the Second League East and placed into the elite competition.

“I believe that the key contribution was made by Dušan Varagić, the coach, who was both an experienced strategist and a man and always had a broader picture of everything that was going on. We had a quality team, but he knew to anticipate everything that awaited us. The role of a coach can be crucial in forming a player, especially if he can motivate him to get the best out of him. I was fortunate to work with good coaches," says Ljumovic.

He regrets that no regional league can be organized in football because he believes that no one would be able to control the cheerleading groups and that the incidents would overshadow what is happening on the pitch.

Caco's grandson prefers to make a pass, rather than to score a goal

Ljumovic was a registered player of OFK Titograd for 14 years. For 12 years he played at FC Buducnost, then in Greek Drahma, and for another three years in France. His grandson plays football, he is left-handed, he does not take after his grandfather in that, but likes to pass the ball more than to score a goal and that he picked up from Caco.

He also spends a lot of time with his grandson, spending summers at Verusa.

More money, less respect

Ljumovic says transfers in modern football are much higher than when he was an active player.

We football players made good money then. We had money, but also more respect. I went on vacation in Dubrovnik, finished my vacation, I want to pay when the hotel manager says "Sir, don't rush, you'll pay when you go to play against Hajduk."

"At that time we couldn't go into the café, everyone wanted to treat us," says Ljumovic.

A penitent hijacker?

Borivoje Jelic, one of the hijackers of JAT's plane, lives in Malmö, is married to a lady from Podgorica, and last year announced that he would come to the Montenegrin capital in the fall because he wanted to apologize to the football players of "Buducnost" for all that happened during the aircraft hijacking. Budimir Bucin, a journalist in Radio Montenegro, held an interview with Jelic, in which he has announced that they had decided to hijack the plane because they were against the political system in the then SFRY. Jelic did not report to Bucin afterwards.

Text by Boban Novovic, on September 11th, 2019, read more at Vijesti

"Fairy tales lay in me like seeds: all it takes is a breath of wind, a ray of sunshine or a drop of bitterness to dissolve into a flower." (Hans Christian Andersen). So it is with her. All she needs is a childish smile, a playful imagination, a brush and a palette of colors, and a dream become reality, and fairy tales the most beautiful way to a peaceful dream.

Her name is Irena Rasovic and people generally know her as a journalist who does her job professionally and with quality in dealing with "serious" topics. And she's much more than that. She, like her favorite painter Van Gogh, who has grown to her heart "because of his work, courageous color choices and emotional honesty, as well as his obsession with painting and the fate of a true tragedian, stares at the stars she always wants to dream." And she succeeds in that. Irena has been doing normal size paintings but also walls for years - turning cold marble into a fairy tale.

Irena Rašović (Photo: Luka Zeković)

“I finished literature studies at the Faculty of Philosophy in Niksic. Although during high school I planned and actively prepared for enrollment in the Academy of Fine Arts, participation in the creation of the gymnasium newspaper 'Steps', some radio shows on the then Second Radio Program of Montenegro, as well as the expressed love for literature, diverted me from that path," Irena said.

Fortunately, with her children and husband and a gift from her maid of honor, she returned to her original love.

“For me, painting walls is a quite new activity. The first works on the wall were made in the period when the children were young, in order to make their space more beautiful and more fun. The long corridor in the apartment at the time was a space that we completely painted. We all took a pen and a brush, and the fun began which continued from one cartoon character to another or a whole family. And that lasted for days. I think that was crucial and for the little ones to realize the importance of freeing their creativity and enjoying their creation. At the same time, my maid of honor Ivana brought me oil paints as a gift, a small reminder of a neglected hobby. Thus, begins a new circle of creation. Oil on canvas, acrylic paintings and murals”.

She admits, when it comes to painting walls, that she is a little cheerful for "unusual solutions, ideas that are not common", that children's rooms are "the most beautiful studio for her, and she enjoys the most in painting the characters that the little ones choose."

Irena Rašović (Photo: Luka Zeković)

“She is especially pleased by their reaction to the new ambience. While working in children's rooms, I also make new little-big friends. They keep a close eye on the painting; they are glad I welcome them to the team and allow them to participate in everything actively. It is not excluded that some of them will, spontaneously, continue their work in painting, or at least that they will admire new skills in the art class."

Recently, she breathed warmth to a kindergarten in Podgorica and colored it with the warmest colors. That, she said, was her biggest challenge.

"It was a real challenge both because of the variety of motives and the short deadline. It was only a few days before the start of the school year, and space for a variety of toddler activities was to be prepared. In addition, ideas were multiplied during the work, and the composition was complicated. In the end, however, everything was above all expectations. In this business, I love the surprise that the finished work brings. It's also hard to imagine how one seemingly simple image can enliven a space and add a new dimension to it. That was the case this time," Irena was pleased.

Illustration (Photo: Private archive)

And it is the pleasure of people and their surprise when they see a finished work that is her favorite compliment. And that glow in children's eyes that is immeasurable.

"I want to work harder to advance my skill. The art of painting space in our country has only recently been affirmed. I want to be with people who think alike in order to be part of actions to try to beautify our cities."

She may even succeed in doing this, and with people who paint with soul and see with heart, breathe new colors into the cities. Warmer and brighter. There is enough of greyness, anyway.

A safe journey to a peaceful sleep

It is best when you manage to keep the child within you. Many try it, but not all succeed. Irena succeeded.

"I love all fairy tales. I used to prefer Hans Christian Andersen's fairy tales because of the elements of harsh reality, but today I find the role of the fairy tale quite different. A fairy tale must be a fairy tale full of magic, warmth and imagination and a safe journey to a peaceful sleep."

The blue of the sea and the sky

In Irena's pictures, the common motifs are the sea, sky, and boats. The blue in which “walks in the yellow and the orange”, but also other warm colors.

“I love the width, the sea, the sun, the clear sky. This is what dominates my paintings. I want the picture to be pleasing to the eye, for a person to enjoy looking at it.”

Text by Svetlana Mandic, on September 15th, 2019, read more at Vijesti

It is impossible to think of Herceg Novi without its steps, which were mostly built at the start of the 20th century, as well as during the period of Turkish rule. No-one has yet counted how many steps there are, although many people do this - even in their sleep - when they know that they’ll be climbing them the next day. Admittedly, Herceg Novi writer Nikola Malović claims that the city is crisscrossed with 100,001 steps, an assertion which is gradually becoming widely accepted, especially among non-locals.

However, the steps are indeed the history of the city, and they need constant care. They are the key to communication through Herceg Novi, but over time, especially after the earthquake, the stairways have become damaged, with cracks and broken stone, slippery from the rain in winter, from other sources in summer, and heavy use. The odd touch up every now and again just wasn’t enough.

The City’s Construction and Development Agency is continuing with the renovation of the city stairways, and has developed a project to rebuild the Danica Tomašević Stairway, which leads from the Radius Printing House to the Pet Danica Promenade. The project has been approved by the Municipality of Herceg Novi, and the tender for the selection of contractors will be announced shortly.

The entire projected value of the works for the 193 flights with landings comes to 89,000 euros, and work should begin by the end of the year.

As the Agency informed Radio Jadran, the works on the damaged and in some places “hollow” stairways could be carried out in two phases or at the same time, depending on the plan envisaged by the Municipality of Herceg Novi.

The first phase will include improvements to the sewage network if needed, as well as repair of damaged balustrades and retaining walls. After this work is complete, it will be possible to pave it with natural, roughly hewn dolomite limestone.

At the same time, the surrounding walls of the stairway will be updated by scraping off the peeling patina and re-plastering. Where possible, new handrails will be installed, as well as bench seats.

As part of the project, the greening of the surrounding areas is also envisaged by combining shrubs and grassed areas, alongside the installation of public lighting.

Reconstruction of the steps in the Old Town will follow.

The Agency has also begun designing the reconstruction of the Marko Vojinović stairway, which leads from Bellavista Square to Forte Mare tower. As the Agency has previously stated, work here would require the involvement of conservationist.

Marko Vojinović Steps - Radio Jadran

On the other hand, the smooth and slippery damaged steps that lead from Nikola Đurković Square to Škver – the 28th October stairway, as well as the stairway below the clock tower are crying out for a “more secure solution”. Although these old stairways, or rather the stones from which they are “stacked” still hold well, these are the busiest in Herceg Novi and are extremely worn out and dangerous. Almost every day this summer, one of the thousands of tourists climbing or descending fell, most often between the former Lazarev Garden to Pub Got.

The Agency states the works on these stairways is planned only once the work is finished on the Danica Tomašević and Marko Vojinović steps.

Source: radiojadran.com

16 September 2019 - According to records published by the Ministry of Sustainable Development and Tourism, there are 453 hotels in Montenegro with 43.639 beds. Nearly 55% account for four-star and five-star hotels. This year, 38 high-end hotels have been opened, and there will be even more.

As representatives of the Ministry said, categorization procedure helps achieve one of Government’s goals – creating conditions for the improvement and raising the quality level of catering capacities.

One of the key measures defined by the Reforms in the Area of Tourism Agenda is the development of new and improvement of the existing accommodation facilities. The most important activity in that context is defining models for the enhancement of the construction of four and five-star hotels, reports CdM.

"There are currently 25 five-star hotels in Montenegro. One hundred seventy-nine four-star hotels, whereas others refer to one to three stars," said the representatives of the Ministry.

Analysis of the current state of affairs of hotel structure takes into consideration the fact that the Strategy adopted at the end of 2008, when the many-year-long economic crisis started, has severely affected the investment projects in Montenegro.

"However, despite such ambiance, we are very satisfied with the structure of our hotels now, as the number of high-end hotels exceeds the projections envisaged by the Strategy," said the representatives of the Ministry.

Raising the offer quality in hotels and other catering facilities achieves the strategic goal of the development of tourism in Montenegro- high quality, all-year-long tourist offer.

"In that context, Government is focused on creating conditions for enhancing the development of catering services, as the most important segment of the tourism product," said the representatives of the Ministry.

With the aim of raising competitiveness level and creating conditions for the extension of the season, Ministry has been implementing the project of the establishment, improvement and control of the quality level of hotel facilities as well as other accommodation facilities.

Commission of the Ministry of Tourism is in charge of the categorization of catering facilities.

"Commission for categorization of catering facilities conducts the categorization procedure and assigns the category depending on the organization, equipment and maintenance of the facility, type and quality of services and other categorization criteria," explained the representatives of the Ministry.

Read more news about traveling through Montenegro at TMN's dedicated page.

16 September 2019 - The University of Donja Gorica in Podgorica and Municipality of Cetinje are organizing the 24th Miločer Development Forum from 14 September to 18 September, while the main forum topic will be "Ecology: Regulation, Education, Business". The forum will gather renowned experts from all over the world.

Professor of the University of Donja Gorica and vice-president of the Association of Economists of Montenegro Zoran Đikanović on the occasion of Miločer Development Forum stated that the main goal is the promotion of the young and new ideas, reported Cafe del Montenegro.

According to him, the mission of the forum is to promote new ideas and boost the sense of future and a new thought.

"Our goal is to launch new ideas, new visions of development, new communication and to open Montenegro to the global world. The forum is testing the possibilities of the practical application of new ideas, in terms of opening new businesses or new areas of research," stated Đikanović.

When asked why they opted for the main topic of this year’s forum to be "Ecology: Regulation, Education, Business", he said that the aim of the forum is to tackle several aspects of ecology: regulation in this field as the main precondition for sustainable development, business operations in this field, especially new ideas, as well as new ideas for funding projects in the field of ecology. He also added that regulations would be regarded in the context of the European laws and Montenegro’s accession to the European Union.

"The forum represents a basis for stimulating new thoughts and ideas. It raises awareness of an individual about his/her obligation to develop himself/herself and the environment as well. The forum always gathers many young people who have the opportunity to hear a lot of new information," said Đukanović on the topic the young and their future challenges at the regional and global level.

This year’s forum has been backed by the Center for Climate Change, Natural Resources and Ecology… New business ideas will be presented as well.

"That is a newly-established and innovative center with a clear vision. They are part of the international projects provided by Germany and other European countries as well," pointed out Đukanović.

"In the part referring to business, there will be presentations of business ideas from this area, primarily ideas of the UDG students as well as the students from the University of Montenegro and those from the region. The forum will present seven business ideas in the field of ecology, and some of them have already been funded from international sources. That is why this forum differs from all the other gatherings in Montenegro and the region as well," concluded Đukanović.

Read more news about business in Montenegro at TMN's dedicated page.

The competition for the preliminary architectural design of the kindergarten in Ulcinj has been completed, and the winning solution was created by the author team consisting of Ivan Jovićević, Dušan Đurović, and Mina Gutović.

The second place went to the author team Ortis d.o.o. from Podgorica, composed of Ana Zogovic, Milos Popovic and Biljana Krunic. The third prize went to the Archifocus team d.o.o. from Niksic: Dijana Zorić, Maja Mrdak and Vukola Kecojević. Nineteen designs were submitted for the competition.

The building, valued at €850,000, is located in Ulcinj, in the settlement Ulcinjsko polje. It is designed for 124 children. The gross area of the building is about 1000 m2, and the surface of the playground is 1231 m², or 50% of the area of the urban plot.

Four working rooms for cribs with sanitary facilities, a multifunctional hall, preventive health care and toilets, and three kindergarten units with associated facilities were designed, while in the basement there is a laundry room, kitchen, two management offices, workshops and pantries. The laundry and kitchen are central, designed in accordance with HACCP standards, for the needs of 400 children.

There are plans to equip the roof with photovoltaic panels for the processing of solar energy into electric and solar collectors for central hot water preparation, to take full advantage of the favorable orientation. The room heating is provided by radiator heating, while the central air-conditioning system will be used for cooling, in order to provide optimum conditions for living and working in the building throughout the year.

The entrance to the building is foreseen on the north side via the access square. Along the road on the west side, a parking space with thirteen parking spaces is foreseen, two of which are for disabled people. Access for the economic part is designed along the eastbound side road. Bicycle parking is also provided in the access square area.

On the conclusion of the Kindergarten Competition Minister of Education, Damir Sehovic, said:

“Even with the example of kindergarten in Ulcinj, we show that we have entered a serious and intensive phase of planning and construction of preschools. I believe that the commission that evaluated the received architectural solutions made a good decision, and that we will soon make available to the citizens of Ulcinj a beautiful, modern and functional space for their children."

The competition for the preliminary architectural design of the kindergarten in Ulcinj, one of the kindergartens financed by a loan from the Council of Europe Development Bank (CEB), has been announced by the Ministry of Sustainable Development and Tourism.

The announcement of the competition for kindergarten in Ulcinj was preceded by the transfer of the right to dispose of land from the Municipality of Ulcinj to the Government of Montenegro. The estimated value of the land is over € 300,000.

Text by Vijesti online, on September 11th, 2019, read more at Vijesti

The non-governmental organization Euromost today, in the presence of the President of Sports Fishing Society "Sinjavac", Ismet Softic, released new drone footage of Lim’s coast below the industrial zone.

The recordings show that unknown substances are still being released from the pipe.

What kind of material is not known," said President of NGO “Euromost” Almer Mekic, who announced, "the defense of Lim from the air, from the river, from the land and from all sides where they can protect it."

Mekic announced that the non-governmental organization Euromost, together with SRD "Sinjavac", still protect Lim and appeals to meat processors, wood processors, companies engaged in gravel exploitation, not to contaminate Lim, and businesspeople and citizens to do not dump waste illegally on the shores of Lim, because "they will no longer be allowed to, and any such example will always, as before, when environmental incidents occur, be made public and demand that the inspections respond promptly."

Mekic announced that from the beginning of October the non-governmental organization Euromost will register every landfill located on the banks of Lim in the municipality Bijelo Polje and will create a database of their locations.

Text by Vijesti online, on September 14th, 2019, read more at Vijesti

The Drop-in Center for the LGBT community was opened at a new location in the center of Podgorica, making it more visible in Montenegrin society, and will provide psychological, peer, and physician support to improve the social and health circumstances of that community.

The program director at the non-governmental organization Juventas, Jelena Colakovic, said at the opening of the new Center that the social and political climate in Montenegro has changed since the opening of the first Drop-in Center in 2011.

“The context in which we are now going to work is different compared to 2011, when we started and when we had considerable difficulties, that is, when the political and social climate was much more hostile to this topic, as well as to LGBT people themselves. It was not very pleasant, but now it is different, and now we have many more people who have come out and who, by their example, showed that freedom is a beautiful thing," Colakovic said.

She said Drop-in Center would be open from 10 am to 10 pm.

"The Dro-in Center will be accessible to young people, but not only to young people, but also to all those with equality, respect, love, values that they advocate. For all people, the Center is fully open and we want them to be our guests, regardless of sexual orientation, gender identity or any other difference that characterizes us and makes the society richer and more beautiful," said Colakovic.

She said the Drop-in Center, as a social health service, has a mission to advance the social and health circumstances of the LGBT community.

“We will continue to have psychological support, physician support, but also peer support, that is, community support for all who wish to come, as well as their family and friends, but also life partners. Everyone who wants to practice safe sexual intercourse will be able to take condoms and lubricants in our facilities, and it will be followed by consultations which will be a part of the service," explained Colakovic.

President of the Board of Directors of Queer Montenegro, Danijel Kalezic, stated that the Drop-in Center had been the most significant place for the LGBT community for nine years, since it was first opened.

"Since 2011, when the first Drop-in Center opened, it was the only meeting place where we all discreetly gathered and began to grow as a community. At that Juventas Center, we were empowering, connecting, sharing many beautiful moments, but also being there for each other in less beautiful moments as one big family," said Kalezic.

He stated that the Drop-in Center was important for the LGBT community because there they worked on organizing the first Montenegro Pride.

"It is also the place at which the Queer Brigade was created as an informal group that preceded Queer Montenegro. The first trans organization Spektra also arouse from this place, Pride has been born of from all of this, and since the first day and the announcement it has been stored in the Center, in different locations, up to the moment when we stopped being in more hidden places," Kalezic said.

The Deputy Mayor of the Capital, Sladjana Vujacic, said that the opening of the new Drop in Center was extremely important for the Capital, which, she said, was a step forward towards respect for human rights.

"It's remarkable that this Drop-in is right in the heart of the city. Significant steps have been taken a few years back and today we have fewer challenges when it comes to this topic, which is definitely no longer taboo," said Vujacic.

She urged the citizens of the Capital to visit the Drop-in Center, regardless of sexual orientation, gender or national differences.

"I think this will be a new, beautiful gathering place in the Capital, whose significance will be multifaceted - educational, social, psychological, and it will also be a place for the pleasure and socializing of our fellow citizens," Vujacic said.

The secretary of the Ministry of Health of Montenegro, Nikola Antovic, said that the department and the Government of Montenegro support all activities that mean the promotion of human rights and the integration of all members of society in the community.

"This Center will carry out certain public health activities supported through projects developed and implemented by the Ministry of Health. We will continue to be committed to strengthening and respecting human rights, and we hope that such centers will be open to all citizens," Antovic said.

He estimated that the newly opened Drop-in Center would improve the status of all visitors.

The director of the Women's Rights Center, Maja Raicevic, said that it was important that the newly opened Drop in Center was located in the city center, because that way, she said, the members of that population were more visible in the Montenegrin society.

"It is very important that such organizations and institutions are centrally located in the city so that young people belonging to this community, as well as those who actively advocate for human rights, are more visible. In this way, this story can be further promoted and indicate that the capital recognizes the importance of these rights, ”Raicevic said.

Text by Vijesti online, on September 13th, 2019, read more at Vijesti

A record 137,508 tourists visited Kotor fortresses from 1st April to 1st September.

The total revenue from ticket sales was 1,100,064 euros.

In the same period last year, 104,492 tourists visited the fortresses, generating a total income of 835,936 euros.

Željko Knežević, from the Kotor Directorate of Planning and Construction, which manages the city walls, told Boka News that some 33,000 additional visits had been made in the same period.

The reasons for this, Knežević states, are twenty percent more cruise ship visits compared with last year, paid entry beginning earlier, on 1st April, and the fact that conditions for visiting the fortresses were very good, given the improved weather.

“The positive trend for visits continued throughout September, we have good prospects for tourism in the coming months, and we are expecting a record number of visitors by the end of the year,” Knežević stated to Boka News.

Entrance to the fortresses costs eight euros.

September 15, 2019 - Continuing our look at the real estate opportunities in Montenegro in association with RE/MAX, a trip to Tivat for the latest Property of the Week. 

The real estate fortunes of Tivat have been transformed more than anywhere else in Montenegro over the last 15 years since the arrival of Porto Montenegro. Once a small sleepy town, the 500 million euro investment of Porto Montenegro has not only put Tivat on the luxury tourism map, but the trickle-down effect on real estate in the surrounding area has been significant, and today Tivat is one of the most sought-after places to own property in Montenegro.  

And where better than Bjelila, just outside Tivat, from where this week's Property of the Week focuses a 3-bedroomed villa with pool and sea view. Its 212m2 of property on a 503m2 plot is priced at 450,000 euro and is presented by RE/MAX as follows:

It's not difficult to fall in love with this imposing villa perched on a slight slope that commands the views across lush Mediterranean greenery to the sea and mountains!

 The architectural style of this “belle” is a clue that behind the seductive Mediterranean and modern exteriors lies the house with an equally cozy but also state-of-the-art interior. 

Inviting interior reflects comfortable living at the coast, while the soft, light beige and blue color palette meet the airy, bright spaces, large glass surfaces, as well as natural design elements such as wood and stone.

It seems that in this villa timeless coastal charm marries the modern look with youthful edge. This makes this property an ideal home for everyone: families, couples and individuals!

Features:

- Internal area 190 m2

- Terraces 12 m2

- External area: 44 m2

- Plot size: 503 m2

- Living room

- Sitting room

- Open plan (kitchen, living room, dining room)

- Laundry

- Storage

- 2 Hallways

- Office (Study)

- 3 bathrooms(3showers)

- 4 toilettes

- 3 balconies

- Terrace

- 4 AC-s

- Garden

- Backyard

- Fridge and freezer

- Washing facilities

- Fire alarm 

- Barbecue area / outdoor cooking

- Private environment

For more information, photos and to book a viewing, visit the original RE/MAX listing.